Metal molding bag



April 28, 1953 T. P. PAJAK METAL MOLDING BAG 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed March 11 1949 April 28, 1953 T. P. PAJAK METAL MOLDING BAG 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed March 11 1949 Elmo/mm Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES NT OFFICE METAL MOLDING B G Application March 11, 1949, Serial No. 80,956

This invention relates in general to molding devices and, more particularly, to an improved method and apparatus for hot molding structural material in a flexible metal enclosure placed under vacuum.

in the fabrication of complicated plastic parts into a composite structure, it has been customary to enclose and mold them as an assembly with an evacuated rubber bag formed as an enclosure for the assembly with the edges of the bag adhesively sealed to exclude admission of air. Removal of the assembly from the bag requires destruction of the bag if the edges cannot be readily separated. Such a procedure is not only slow and costly due to the high cost of materials and the labor involved, but also limits the field to the use of materials that are characterized by their poor heat conductivity. A further disadvantage in the use of rubber as an enclosure around an object to be molded under heat is that airtight bag from which the air is readily withdrawn for vacuum molding.

It is among the advantages or this invention to provide an improved method of forming a low cost metallic molding bag. The use of aluminum foil or alike metal sheet material allows for quick. fabrication as such a material is highly ductile lending itself to the formation of seams that require no gluing or cementing. I

Another object is to provide a method of mold-- ing which utilizes a flexible metal bag capable of forming to the shape of the object being molded without sticking thereto or to itself. A bag of this character permits the uniform molding under heat and pressure of assemblages com' prised. of a plurality of complicated parts having unusual contours as a single molding operation.

A further object is to provide a flexible molding capable of withstanding relatively high temperatures for use in a molding oven or autoclave.

A still further object is to provide a molding 6 Claims. (01. 154-4) of this invention will be apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein like numbers refer to like parts.

Figure l is a perspective view of the foil molding bag of this invention positioned around an airfoil assembly to be molded.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of a conventional autoclave with an object enclosed in the foil bag of this invention positioned therein for molding.

Figure 3 is a sectional View of the rolled edge of the bag taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the air outlet stem taken on line :l l of'Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan-view of the stem base taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring more specifically to the drawings,

Figure 1 illustrates the enclosure or bag ll] of. this invention formed from a single sheet of aluminum foil or a like flexible metallic material. The object ll shown within the bag in molding position consists of a conventional type of wing section used in the manufacture of aircraft in which metal surface sheets are adhesively bonded to a light weight tapered core section to provide a structure having a relatively thin trailing edge spaced from a thicker leading edge. It is to be noted that the top surface l2 of the wing section or object I l is formed to a contour having a compound radius while the bottom area I3 is formed to a different contour. In the molding of such unusually shaped objects, it is highly desirable that the bag be so formed as'to exceed the size of the assembly and allow for a close adherence thereto under a vacuum established within the bag as hereinafter more specifically described.

I have found it convenient and time saving to form the bag ill from one sheet of metal foil folded over theobiect H to form a top portion 2d and a bottom portion H. In this manner, I find it relatively easy to establish a straight fold line 35 where the sheet is folded over so as to place the edges of the sides i l into alignment. After the location oi the fold edge at line 35 is established, the vacuum stem 16, having an air passage 38, is inserted outwardly through. the top 215 at approximately where the thin trailing edge of the object H will be placed. The location of the outlet stem adjacent to the edge of the object to be molded forms a natural tap into the air channel created along said edge lengthwise of the object for quick withdrawal of the'air from the bag. The outlet stem I6 is formed with a threaded portion terminating-in an enlarged base portion 36 positioned withm the bag and isheld,

in place by a nut I! adapted for threaded engagement with the stem. In order to assure that an airtight fitting is made relative to the bag, a top washer I8 and a bottom washer l9 are placed around the stem l6 at each respective side of the top for compressive engagement therewith. The air passage 38, as best shown in Figure 4, extends the full length of the stem 16 so as to open interiorly of the bag In with the stem in installed position. In order to guard against any tendency of the foil material of the bag to be sucked over the end of the stem I6 so as to close the air passage 38, the base is formed with a plurality of radiating grooves 37 extending outwardly of the air passag to allow for free passage of the air thereinto.

With the outlet stem l6 inserted and the object placed on the lower section 2! of the sheet, the opposite sides [4 of the bag are formed as an enclosure around the object by the rolling of the aligned edges ofthe top 29 and bottom 2| portions of the bag 10 as best illustrated in Figure 3. It is to be noted that these edges are turned back and rolled a sufiicient number of times so as to form an airtight joint when flattened as shown. This not only forms a mechanical juncture, but also an airtight seal with no other sealing means being required. The edges at the front i5 are then rolled in the same manner so as to efiect a complete airtight enclosure around the object except for the air outlet stem 16. It is to be noted that the metal foil is sumciently stifi to retain the sealed condition of the edges without the necessity of using any form of adhesive or other sealing means. Furthermore, the juncture formed by the rolled edges is sufficiently strong to withstand all the necessary handling involved in a molding operation.

The bag It in its sealed condition enclosing object H is then ready for insertion as a unit into the molding oven or autoclave 23 (Figure 2). Any suitable means of supporting the unit may be used such as the wheel car 24 carried by rails 25. The bag I!) is next vacuumized to collapse it around the object H in order to impose molding pressure thereon by withdrawal of the air contained therein through an air duct 26 connected to the air outlet stem 1 6 by a coupling 27. The air duct 26 is, in turn, coupled to a wall nipple 29 by a pipe coupling 28 so as to provide for communication with a vacuum line 3| equipped with a shut-off valve 30 positioned outside the autoclave 23 for operational purposes. Heating of the autoclave 23 is accomplished by means of a steam duct 34 that opens into the interior of the autoclave as at inlet 32 extended through the autoclave wall. Control of the amount of steam admitted into the autoclave is provided by a control valve 33 placed outside the autoclave. it will be understood by those skilled in the art that most any conventional type of oven having suitable heat control means will give satisfactory results.

The high heat conductivity characteristic of the metal foil from which the bag It is formed allows for rapid transfer of heat to the material being molded, making it possible to obtain the same degree of molding eificiency attainable with other means of direct metal contact, such as in a heated press mold. The heat range of the metal foil used to form the bag in is sufficient to allow for molding within the heat ranges conventional to this type of work.

Although an autoclave is described,

The method of operation is to assemble the object H to be molded with the parts to be joined, covered by a coating of adhesive after which the assemblage is placed on a sheet 2! of the metal foil sufiiciently large in area to allow for doubling back over the object. Obviously, two separate sheets could be used with all four sides joined and sealed by rolling and crushing as previously described; however, if one sheet is used, a more enicient aligning of the edges is provided than can be attained by the use of two separate sheets. Before the top portion 20 of the bag It is finally positioned, the outlet stem i6 is inserted outwardly thereof by piercing the top section of foil adjacent the fold line 35. The outlet stem I6 is then secured in position by a suitable washer and nut assembly as illustrated by Figure 4. The enclosed object 1 i is placed in the autoclave 23 with the air outlet positioned for connection to the vacuum duct 25 by the coupling 2'1. The autoclave is closed and the air removed from the bag ii! by means of the vacuum line 3! placing the object being molded under vacuum with the flexible bag material drawn in tightly around the object to effect pressurized molding of the metal surface sheets 12 and 13 together and to the core to form a unitary molded structure. Suificient heat is introduced into the oven by means of the steam line 34 through control valve 33 and outlet 3?: opening into the autoclave to completely cure the bonding adhesive used. The heat is maintained for the required period of time according to conventional molding practices after which the autoclave 23 is cooled and the assemlage removed.

The edges M and i5 of the foil bag ii] are easily unrolled making the bag material available for repeated use as it is unaffected by the heat to which it is subjected in the autoclave.

Although my invention has been described in connection with the molding of an airfoil, it will be appreciated that it is well suited to the working of articles of general utility and particularly those involving unusual shapes or contours and that numerous variations in material and procedure may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A heat resistant flexible bag for molding an object under heat and vacuum comprising a metal enclosure formed of flexible metal foil, said enclosure being formed with top and bottom portions having edges roll-joined together capable of separation by being unrolled, air outlet means carried by said enclosure having an air duct adapted for connection to a vacuum line to withdraw air from the enclosure, said air duct being provided with a base portion positioned within the enclosure and radially channeled for passage of from within said enclosure normal to the centerline of the duct.

2. A flexible molding bag of high heat conductivity formed from a single sheet of metal foil, said sheet being folded over upon itself to provide upper and lower sheet sections connected together at a fold line defining one edge of said bag, said sheet sections contacting one another along their remaining edges and being jointly folded over along each of said last mentioned edges to form a plurality of superimposed layers in intimate contact with one another to provide self-sustaining but readily separable, air-tight seams along said edges, and means providing an air duct communicating with the interior of said bag and adapted for connection to a vacuum source to remove air from said interior.

3. A flexible molding bag of high heat conductivity comprising upper and lower sheet sections of metal foil, said sheet sections contact- 5 ing one another along their periphery to form an air-tight enclosure, the edges of said sections, along at least the major portion of said periphery, being jointly folded over in reentrant fashionw to form a plurality of superimposed layers iii-' said bag and adapted "for connection to a vacuum source to remove air-"from said interior.

4. A flexible molding. bag of high heat conductivity comprising upper and lower sheet sections of metal foil, said sheet sections contacting one another alongtheir periphery to form an air-tight enclosure, the edges of said sections, along at least the major portion of said periphery, being jointly folded over in reentrant fashion to form a plurality of superimposed layers in intimate contact with one another to provide a self-sustaining but readily separable, air-tight seam along said portion, and means providing an air duct communicating with the interior of said bag and adapted for connection to a vacuum source to remove air from said interior, said means being located adjacent the periphery-of said bag.

5. The method of molding and bonding a composite structure under relatively high temperature conditions, comprising wrapping said struc- 6 ture with flexible metal foil having high heat conductivity, folding together the edges of said foil to form an air-tight, heat conducting bag around said structure, evacuating said bag, and applying heat to the exterior of said'bag while thus evacuated.

6. The method of molding and bonding a composite structure under relatively high temperature conditions, comprising placing said structure upon a sheet of flexible metalifoil, folding said foil over the material to bring the edge portions thereof into intimate contact, jointly folding said edge portions to provide an air-tight bag about said material, evacuating saidbag and subjecting the assembly to relatively high temperature while thus evacuated.

THEODORE P. PAJ AK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,931,324 Newton Oct.;1'7, 1933 1,989,032 Westin Jan 22, 1935 2,202,042 Blount May 2'8, 1940 2,276,004 Vidal et a1. Mai. 10, 1942 2,283,946 Pitman May 26, 1942 2,392,108 Vidal et al. Jan; 1, 1946 2,395,468 Eames Feb. 26, 1946 2,517,698 Muskat Aug. 8, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country a Date 310,995 Great Britain -May 6, 1929 488,315 Great Britain July 5, 1938 

